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In Six Key Senate Races, Democrats Raise More Money in Second Quarter

Republican candidates largely have more cash on hand

New Hampshire Gov. Maggie Hassan greeted supporters as she filed her candidacy papers to seek the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate on June 6 in Concord, N.H. Ms. Hassan raised $3.2 million in the second quarter of the year.
Photo:
Jim Cole/Associated Press

Democratic candidates in some of the tightest Senate races raised more money than their opponents in the second quarter of the year, but their Republican rivals still have more ready cash heading into the fall elections, recent reports show.

The Democratic Party must win a net of five seats to regain control of the chamber—or four if they win the White House, since the vice president’s vote can break 50-50 ties.

In six Senate races considered to be among the most competitive in the nation, Democratic candidates raised more money than their opponents in the last three-month period, according to federal campaign-finance filings.

Those contests include New Hampshire, where Gov. Maggie Hassan, considered one of the Democrats’ strongest recruits this cycle, raised $3.2 million to incumbent Sen. Kelly Ayotte’s $2.5 million this quarter.

Democratic Senate candidate Catherine Cortez Masto, center, spoke to people at a campaign event in Las Vegas on May 31. Ms. Cortez Masto raised $1.7 million in the April-June period.
Photo:
John Locher/Associated Press

In Nevada, former state Attorney General Catherine Cortez Masto, who is running for an open seat being vacated by Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid, outraised her opponent, Rep. Joe Heck, by half a million dollars in the three-month period, $1.7 million versus $1.2 million.

In Wisconsin and Illinois—both races seen as a possible gain in the Democratic column—Democrats easily raise more than incumbent Republicans in the quarter. Wisconsin’s Russ Feingold and Tammy Duckworth of Illinois also held significant cash-on-hand advantages over GOP incumbent Sens. Ron Johnson and Mark Kirk, respectively

Ms. Duckworth has garnered $2.7 million to Mr. Kirk’s $1 million, while Mr. Feingold has raised $4.1 million to $2.8 million for Mr. Johnson.

In a sign that outside spending could be softening in Wisconsin, Freedom Partners, a super PAC backed by brothers Charles and David Koch, said earlier this week that it was canceling a $2.2 million ad buy backing Mr. Johnson.

Still, other parts of the Koch Brothers network—a collection of conservative donors who plan to spend roughly $750 million influencing 2016 races—continue to work on Mr. Johnson’s behalf.

Tim Phillips, the president of Americans for Prosperity, another group in the network, said this week that his group had “dozens of staff and thousands of active grass roots volunteers, and our efforts to make sure folks in Wisconsin know about Sen. Johnson’s sterling record are full-speed ahead.”

In Arizona and North Carolina, two matchups that until recently weren't regarded as particularly competitive, Republican incumbent Sens. John McCain of Arizona and Richard Burr of North Carolina trailed in second-quarter fundraising to Democratic challengers Ann Kirkpatrick and Deborah Ross, respectively.

Ms. Ross took in $2.1 million versus $1.6 million or Mr. Burr in the North Carolina race, while Ms. Kirkpatrick edged Mr. McCain $18.3 million to $18 million.

Democrats on the national level hope the challengers’ fundraising strength signals an increasing ability for the party to compete in traditionally red states with large minority populations. Still, major outside groups have yet to pour significant sums into either race.

Candidates’ quarterly reports have long been considered a strong barometer of the level of enthusiasm for candidates among donors—and therefore a good measure of their viability.

Despite rising Democratic strength in several states, the election map also holds some bright spots for Republicans hoping to collect as many seats as possible. In two key races, Republican incumbent Sens. Rob Portman of Ohio and Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania performed better than their Democratic challengers, Ted Strickland and Katie McGinty respectively.

Mr. Portman raised $2.9 million compared with Mr. Strickland’s $1.9 million, while Mr. Toomey took in $3.2 million versus $2.9 million for Ms. McGinty.

In Florida, Sen. Marco Rubio—who announced his re-election bid just nine days before the end of the fundraising period—still managed to pull in $2.2 million, compared with $2.4 million over the entire quarter for his likely Democratic opponent, Rep. Patrick Murphy.

Outside of recent fundraising, most of the Republican candidates hold significant cash-on-hand advantages over their Democratic rivals, a crucial leg-up as Senate races move into the general election and need cash for advertising and field work.

Chief among them is Mr. Portman, who has amassed over $13.2 million for his general election matchup against Mr. Strickland, a former governor, who reported holding about $3.8 million. Republicans in Arizona, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Carolina and Pennsylvania also reported having more money than their Democratic opponents.

Mr. McCain leads Ms. Kirkpatrick $5.8 million to $2.5 million in Arizona in cash on hand; Mr. Heck of Nevada outpaces Ms. Cortez Masto $4.8 million to $3.4 million; Ms. Ayotte has a $7.1 million-to-$4.3 million advantage over Ms. Hassan in New Hampshire; Mr. Burr leads Ms. Ross $7 million to $1.9 million; and Mr. Toomey outpaces Ms. McGinty $7.7 million to $2.4 million in Pennsylvania.